The History of Bulgaria. The Rise and Flourishing of the Second Bulgarian Empire. Lesson Five.

The brothers Ivan Asen and Peter – members of the aristocracy, descendants of the tsars of the First Bulgarian Empire – raised a rebellion against the Byzantines, taking advantage of the fact that after a political coup Byzantium had entered troubled times, and the weakened empire could no longer control the Bulgarian territories.

The pretext for the uprising was the new taxes that the Byzantine emperor decided to impose on the Bulgarians. In 1187, after a long siege of the fortress of Lovech, the Byzantines were forced to conclude a peace treaty with the rebels and to recognise the new state – the Second Bulgarian Empire.

Tarnovgrad (Veliko Tarnovo) became the capital of the state. It was there that the new tsars – Ivan Asen and Peter – established themselves, and

later their younger brother Kaloyan as well.

The first years of the new power were turbulent: its rulers did not manage to die a natural death, all of them perishing in battle or as a result of conspiracies.

Bulgaria was constantly at war with its neighbours, now seizing new territories, now losing them again. Coups and intrigues were not lacking either. After the murder of Kaloyan the throne was seized by his nephew Boril, but later the lawful heir Ivan Asen II ascended the throne with the support of the people.

The flourishing of Bulgaria

In the 13th century, under Ivan Asen II, the borders of the state reached three seas, and the wise tsar managed to do without wars and battles. Thanks to well-considered dynastic marriages, not only did the country’s territory expand, but Bulgaria’s might was strengthened as well. The state became respected and strong, which led to a rapid cultural development. This time its centre was the city of Veliko Tarnovo, where schools of painting and architecture opened. In terms of its cultural importance, the city of Veliko Tarnovo at that time stood on a par with Thessaloniki and Constantinople.

It is considered that Ivan Asen II was the first Bulgarian ruler under whom coins bearing the image of the tsar began to be minted. According to some versions, however, he merely restored the tradition of minting coins, which had been lost during the time the country was under Byzantine rule.

At the beginning of the 14th century, Patriarch Euthymius, the author of numerous works and a reformer of the Bulgarian language, gained wide renown throughout the Orthodox world. His fame, and that of his disciples, resounded not only in Bulgaria but in Byzantium as well.

A landmark of Bulgaria – the Lovech Fortress

The third Bulgarian capital – Veliko Tarnovo

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